20 Sunday Independent
Allianz Business to Arts Awards
The misperception
that the arts are for
the elite is being
smashed by various
projects around Ireland,
with each encouraging
the general public to be
creative and act as artists.
From the Tiny Plays
for Ireland project by
Fishamble and The Irish
Times to the Landmark
public art programme in
Mayo, each has promoted
creativity among the
public.
In 2011, Fishamble: The
New Play Company invited
the public to submit tiny
plays, of just 600 words,
to capture and produce
a series of glimpses of
the times we live in. The
Irish Times supported the
project both on and offline,
calling for submissions
and publishing sample
plays by established
writers in advance, along
with some of the entries.
The exposure in The
Irish Times led to 1,700
entries from around the
world, with submissions
coming from a range of
socio-economic classes
and ages. The youngest
writer was seven, the
oldest 81.
The man in the street
Promoting creativity among the public has been a feature of
this year's Allianz Business to Arts Awards, with many projects
empowering the individual to make art
Actor Steve Blount in The Performance Corporation's
Across the Lough, part of the Landmark Public Art
Programme commissioned by Mayo County Council
Peter Daly and Don Wycherley in Fishamble's production of Tiny Plays
for Ireland supported by The Irish Times
Children perform in Kilcormac as part of the Kilcormac Cantata by
Vincent Kennedy, commissioned by Offaly County Council
Artist Michelle Culligan was commissioned by
Finglas Addiction Support Team to create a
piece of art for its new building